Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Agribusiness Still Growing in S.C.

S.C. Agricultural Commissioner Hugh Weathers in Walterboro

At many times farmers have no set number of hours built into
a workday. During peak times like planting or harvesting of crops, they have a
job to do and are often only limited by daylight, so they may work from dawn
until dusk. Those who represent the interests of S.C. farmers were working late
last Friday afternoon, February 27 when Ag Commissioner Hugh Weathers and
friends came to Walterboro to promote the economic impacts of Agribusiness.

Hugh
Weathers is a fourth-generation farmer from Orangeburg County, and he began
serving as the State of South Carolina’s Department of Agriculture Commissioner
in 2004. His family farm’s dairy tradition paved the way for him to enter the
S.C. Dairy Hall of Fame in 2011, and he speaks with affinity of Crescent Dairy
that recently relocated into Colleton County. Everything from the feed
purchased for the dairy cows to the delivery of all milk products falls under
the category of Agribusiness.

This
catch all phrase was reintroduced in 2008 when Weathers directed a new look
into Agribusiness, which is now a combination of all farming and all forestry
interests. “All things outdoors and nature-based fit my definition for
Agribusiness, from planting to consumption,” said Weathers. “In 2008 we saw a
$34 Billion dollar impact on the economy and we launched a plan to grow that to
$50 Billion by the year 2020.”